North and South
by nnaatsuki
Summary: Set during Edo Era, 1868, a shadow assassin met his worthy opponent. AU


_**Disclaimer : They are not mine, except Mizobata Takahiro.**_

_Author's note : hi, everyone. Like I said before, I needed to show you my one shots story which I have many now. Well, I upload one of my stories a day after I uploaded pieces of paradise because I read so many reviewers who still confused about that bloody plot!_

_Well enough the chit chat. This fic set in Edo Era and it was inspired by my other favorite manga, Rurouni Kenshin, but no, it's not crossover._

_So, here it goes._

_Anyway, it un beat ed, again -_-_

**NORTH AND SOUTH**

_**Kyoto, February 1868**_

"Mizobata Takahiro?"

On a cold night, when the snow began to fall, a group of seven men turned their head to the voice behind them. The owner of the voice hid behind the shadow.

"Who... Who are you?!" Man named Mizobata asked with wavered voice, scared.

"I have no grudge against you, but I should claim your dead."

"Shadow assassin? Kill him!" commanded Mizobata.

Six men around him moved forward, covered him, protected him, ready to attack the shadow assassin.

But they were too slow and too weak. And the shadow assassin was too skillful for them.

In no time, they were all lying on his feet with eyes looked at him in horror.

Liveless.

Including the shogun's dog, Mizobata.

The shadow assassin took a paper handkerchief from his _hakama_ then cleaned his _katana_ with it.

That was when a voice came not far from him. He sheathed his katana again, ready to attack.

"So, you killed people, huh?"

Smile. That was the first thing he saw on the person that was now in front of him, his half face hid in shadow, like his.

"Who are you?" the shadow assassin asked the same question like his prey moments ago.

"Someone who doesn't like to see people being killed." the mysterious man walked slowly approaching him.

"Then you must die because you see this!" the shadow assassin stood on his attacking stance once again, grabbed his katana and drew it out.

Their fight began.

...

"What did take you so long?" asked his commander, "And why are you wounded so bad? Was his bodyguard skillful?"

"No, the bodyguards were weak. It was just the one who came after that." the shadow assassin answered thoughtfully.

"A back up?"

"I guess no."

"Then, _Shinsengumi_?"

"No. I fought with all _Shinsengumi_'s leaders, and he wasn't one of them..." the shadow assassin remembered the fight with the mysterious man before added, "and he was as skillful as them."

Those last words startled his commander. His first class assassin never let his enemies wounded him like this before, even scracth.

"Yamagata-san, do you want me to do something else?" asked the shadow assassin politely.

"Ah, no. Not now at least. You should rest. You may excuse."

"Then, excuse me."

When the shadow assassin slid open the door, Yamagata Aritomo talked again, "And, Rukawa, you can ask Hikoichi about your mysterious opponent. And I'd like to hear that as well."

"Yes, Yamagata-san."

...

"A skillful swordsman?" asked Hikoichi.

They were on the garden, sat under the sakura tree.

"Yes, broom head, smiling face." asked Rukawa, thoughtful.

"No, Rukawa-san. I've never heard about him. Even in _Shinsengumi_, or other Shogun's comrades."

_Who is he, then. He can't be independent, they must be notice him immediately and recruit him._ Rukawa thought.

"Is your wound that bad, Rukawa-san?"

Rukawa without realized caress his wound on his shoulder. He remembered the doctor say that his wound was deeper than it looked. He should rest about a week, the longest time he had ever rest.

"It almost healed fully now." Rukawa said, expressionless.

Someone was coming to them.

"Rukawa-san, Yamagata-san wants to talk to you." it was Haruko, server girl where most of Satsuma clan lived.

_Duty_. Rukawa stood on his feet, ready to leave.

"Rukawa-san, I'll do research about him as much as I could. I'll let you know if I know something."

"Thank you, Hikoichi."

...

"I must claim your dead!"

He did his job successfully again. This time was tougher because of the wound on his shoulder. It was slowing him.

"We meet again."

_That voice_. Rukawa turned around immediately, now facing the familiar broom head samurai.

"You are not _Bakufu_'s!" Rukawa narrowed his eyes.

"So, you are doing research about me." The samurai smirked, rubbed his nape.

Rukawa narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"No, I'm not one of them." The samurai laughed jokingly.

_Ishin shishi_? Rukawa startled.

"Neither _Choshu_'s." still laughed crisply, "Anyway, I should punish _again_ you because you killed people _again_."

The fight was inevitable.

...

"Rukawa-san."

His room's door slid open, revealed Hikoichi.

"How is your wound?" Hikoichi asked him in concern.

His old wound in shoulder opened again after that night. Yet he gained a new wound again, this time in his abdomen. He fell unconscious after he made sure he reached his hiding place safely, without any followers.

"It's okay." Rukawa said, winched when he sat his body up.

"It's bad Rukawa-san. He must be a very skillful samurai."

Rukawa remembered again the fight between he and the ever smiling broom head samurai last night. He was sure he wounded the samurai badly too. But maybe not as bad as his. The first time they fought Rukawa take his opponent lightly. The result was his madly bleeding shoulder. And last night he didn't want to get a wound again. He fought like a mad. And this time, his stomach was the samurai's _katana_'s prey.

_At least I slashed his chest. Last time I checked, it was bleeding as much as mine. Who is he?_

"Rukawa-san?"

Hikoichi's voice brought his mind to the present.

"Yes, Hikoichi."

"Are you okay?" asked Hikoichi in worried voice.

"I'm fine."

"By the way, I found a little information about this samurai. Although, it's not as worthy as you want it to be."

Rukawa looked at Hikoichi immediately.

"Let's hear about it then." Rukawa looked at Hikoichi seriously.

"Well, including my resource a man with gravity defying hair had been seen after _Bakufu_'s assassin killed our comrade. He fought with that assassin."

_"Someone who doesn't like to see people being killed."_ Rukawa remembered the conversation between him and the samurai.

"Also, Rukawa-san, someone told me about the man with same characteristics as his in the _battle of Toba Fushimi_."

_Huh?_ Rukawa's eyes widened in surprise as Hikoichi's voice reached his ears.

"Rukawa-san, I should go. I'll let you know when I find something again."

"Thank you."

Rukawa lost in his thought once again. He remembered the first time he saw his enemy's face fully. He was as young as him. Maybe a year or two older than him. His eyes had the same color as him, blue. He was slightly taller than him. And his smile, his smile was very rare in this war period. Yet, it hid much thing that Rukawa couldn't help but wondered.

Without he realized, he already waited the next time to see his enemy again.

...

"You are later than the last time." Rukawa said in low voice, facing his enemy once again, "You can always have them all alive when you came earlier."

"You are talkative today, huh?" The no name samurai smirked.

"Who are you? You wounded _Bakufu_'s dog."

"How far you know about me?" The samurai laughed, rubbed his nape, foolishly.

Rukawa glared at him.

"Well, enough the chit chat. I will punish you because you killed people again!"

The samurai unsheathed his katana again, attacking.

...

They were wounded badly, lacked of oxygen, lost a lot of blood.

"You're...improved." The samurai said, breathed harshly.

_Not as good as you._ Rukawa thought, cursed his now wounded knee.

"Well, see you later, Rukawa!" the samurai waved his hand and disappeared.

_He knows me? How could he say those words,' see you later'?_

_..._

"Rukawa-san."

The door behind him slid open. It was Hikoichi.

"Yamagata-san! I'm sorry, I thought that Rukawa-san was alone."

"It's okay Hikoichi. He just finished his report. What did bring you in hurry?" Yamagata tilted his head, asked.

Hikoichi bowed lowly to Yamagata before he sat beside Rukawa.

"It is about Rukawa-san's enemy. The broom head samurai."

Rukawa, who still felt his knee throb painfully immediately looked at his side.

"What is it, Hikoichi?" it was Yamagata, who asked him.

"His family name was Sendoh. He is the member of _Byakkotai_."

Both Rukawa and Yamagata were surprised.

"Byakkotai is one of _Bakufu_'s. But why did he attack his comrades?" asked Yamagata.

"He hates to see people get killed..." Rukawa answered that question with faraway eyes.

...

The next assassinations bored Rukawa. His wounds were fully healed. He killed his targets easily as always. But the young samurai named Sendoh didn't show his face for a month.

_**Aizuwakamatsu, October 1868**_

Bodies lay on the ground covered by blood, head separated gracefully, the sounds of collided katanas, the scream of horses and samurais. A flamed castle.

Rukawa slashed his enemy's head eagerly. He just saw his forever enemy a moment ago, impatient to fight with him again.

"Hello, Rukawa. Finally we meet again." Smile. Tired and sad smile.

_He sure didn't kill his enemies._ Rukawa looked at the bodies that lay surround Sendoh. _They were badly injured, unable to continue the battle, but still, they were breathing._

_But why does he look so sad?_ Rukawa talked to his mind, _better get rid of this._

"Let's end this, Sendoh!" Rukawa narrowed his eyes dangerously.

"So, finally you know my name." Sendoh caressed his sheathed _wakizashi_ unconsciously.

"You are _Byakkotai_."

"Well, you can call it whatever you like." Sendoh smiled, ready to attack.

The last thing Sendoh knew was Rukawa lay on his hand, breathed heavily, badly wounded.

"Rukawa!" Sendoh panicked.

"You kill... You..fail..to keep your..word not to..kill... See..you..later..Sendoh..." Rukawa smirked, before closed his eyes forever.

"No!"

Before Sendoh could even regret his action, a katana stabbed across his heart.

He died immediately.

_**Ryonan, nowadays**_

"Sorry I'm late."

The boy's face in front of the sliding door of the gym is unseen because of the ray of the sunlight outside.

"You big dummy! What are you doing arriving just now? Where have you been?" His coach yells at him.

"Sorry, coach, I overslept." He grins, rubs his nape.

"There's no time to warm up. The match will start right away." his captain says to him when he changes his uniform to his jersey.

"It's okay, Uozumi-san, I ran here."

The match begin, the opponent team gets the ball, but it immediately being stolen by Uozumi's member and being passed to the late comer.

His defender already in front of him.

They look at each other.

Same blue eyes, same features, same height as the last time they saw each other a hundred year ago.

Their mind speak in unison :

_We meet again, Rukawa._

_We meet again, Sendoh._

**END**

_Author's note : for the one who doesn't know Japan's history here it is_

_There were groups such as Satsuma clan, Choshu clan, etc, who against the crowned Shogun that year, the groups called Ishin Shishi. While the Shogun's comrades called Bakufu. Shinsengumi was a special police organized by the shogun to protect Kyoto._

_Yamagata Aritomo was from Satsuma clan, which later being the third __Prime Minister of Japan._

_Battle of Toba Fushimi happened in January 1868 between the government and the rebellions e.g. Satsuma clan and Choshu clan._

_Byakkoutai was a group of young, teenage samurai from Aizu domain, which one of Bakufu's comrades, where the last war happened in my story, Aizuwakamatsu. It called Battle of Aizu. Which the castle burned down by Ishin Shishi._

_Well, pleeaaassseee, pleeeassseee correct me if I'm wrong. I'm not good at history. Pleeeassseee don't kill me if I'm wrong *sob*_

_And for the title, maybe it's not proper but I used it because north and south always be opposite to each other *grin*. But lately I found out that one of Shohoku's kanji's meaning is north while one of Ryonan's kanji is south. How lucky I am *sob*_

_Well, review please_


End file.
